Haha no I agree I've tried some of his guitars but can't for the life of me understand or accept the headstock design!

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The Tyler headstock design works, because it is instantly recognizable, and unforgettable, and there have now been several posts on a popular guitar forum discussing Tyler guitars because of that ugly headstock.

I saw a youtube chat with Dave Friedman (Friedman Amps), where he said that the there was a multi page thread (in which he responded) on The Gear Page about why he gave his amps such stupid or offensive names.

In the youtube vid he commented (paraphrasing) "there is no bad publicity, some people have a problem with the names of my amps, so there is now a 14 page thread on the biggest gear forum on the internet talking about Friedman Amps. Thank You!"

The Tyler headstock design works, because it is instantly recognizable, and unforgettable, and there have now been several posts on a popular guitar forum discussing Tyler guitars because of that ugly headstock.

I saw a youtube chat with Dave Friedman (Friedman Amps), where he said that the there was a multi page thread (in which he responded) on The Gear Page about why he gave his amps such stupid or offensive names.

In the youtube vid he commented (paraphrasing) "there is no bad publicity, some people have a problem with the names of my amps, so there is now a 14 page thread on the biggest gear forum on the internet talking about Friedman Amps. Thank You!"

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Recognizable sure, I give him that. But my concern would be the potential buyer being not comfortable to own that guitar and be proud to display it to the world. There are several boutique guitar manufacturer's that have successfully done that, created a good concept guitar with a nice and attractive headstock. To me Tyler fails on the latter aspect, but that's just me. If it appeals to others fine I accept it, I'm not one for shaming people.

EbidisProviding the world with flat bends since 1985Strat-Talk Supporter

Recognizable sure, I give him that. But my concern would be the buyer being not comfortable to own that guitar and be proud to display it to the world. There are several boutique guitar manufacturer's that have successfully done that, created a good concept guitar with a nice and attractive headstock. To me Tyler fails on the latter aspect, but that's just me. If it appeals to others fine I accept it, I'm not one for shaming people.

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I didn't say it's not fugly , because it certainly is, just that it works on the level of getting people to talk about Tyler guitars. See? It works.

The point is, that these are very well made high end guitars, and because we are discussing them here, someone who may be in the market for a high end guitar and did not even know that Tyler guitars existed, now does. Even if some don't like the aesthetics, it's still publicity.

The point is, that these are very well made high end guitars, and because we are discussing them here, someone who may be in the market for a high end guitar and did not even know that Tyler guitars existed, now does. Even if some don't like the aesthetics, it's still publicity.

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I don't know if that works in reality, there's good buzz and bad buzz, if the point is to just start a buzz for the sake of it and hold your breath for people lining up the shop to buy a Tyler guitar, I wouldn't hold my breath for that long.

It's a nice line to say there is no such thing as bad publicity! But in reality when it comes to boutique guitar manufacturer's their best bet is always guitars show and guitar reviews/demo on YouTube to showcase them and also having professional players attached to the guitar!

There's no doubt that Tyler makes good guitars , his best competition is Suhr who both makes somewhat identical guitars and are at same price range. Suhr has the advantage of pedigree of course but also better headstock design.

EbidisProviding the world with flat bends since 1985Strat-Talk Supporter

There's no doubt that Tyler makes good guitars , his best competition is Suhr who both makes somewhat identical guitars and are at same price range. Suhr has the advantage of pedigree of course but also better headstock design.

I understand the promotional value of a unique headstock shape. Maybe you're playing on a session in a top studio with some other guitarists, and one of them has a guitar you admire, but don't ask him/her about. Later on you think: "Damn, I wish I could remember who made that guitar!" With the words 'JAMES TYLER' repeated over and over across the headstock, combined with the goofiest shape ever, that isn't going to happen.

But here's where that idea goes all wrong for me:

1) I'm a strong believer in great design, visually and functionally. Why? Because if you design something that a consumer desires more that the alternatives, you will get the sale, often at a premium. Also, if you spend 10x more on design than your competitors, but sell 100x more, your design costs are a tenth of the other operation on a per-unit basis.
2) When I buy something, I am the customer, not part of the marketing strategy. Too often, I buy something and know there's an agenda. I don't know how it is in other countries, but when you buy a new car in the UK the company that sold it to you often adds a little logo on the back. What! I gave you my money and I bought a billboard? And when I buy something on line, I don't want you emailing me every day about that other stuff you sell.​

More than anything though, when the parts of something I can see look poorly designed, I start to question how much attention to detail has gone into the parts I can't see yet.

The point is, that these are very well made high end guitars, and because we are discussing them here, someone who may be in the market for a high end guitar and did not even know that Tyler guitars existed, now does. Even if some don't like the aesthetics, it's still publicity.

2) When I buy something, I am the customer, not part of the marketing strategy. Too often, I buy something and know there's an agenda. I don't know how it is in other countries, but when you buy a new car in the UK the company that sold it to you often adds a little logo on the back. What! I gave you my money and I bought a billboard? And when I buy something on line, I don't want you emailing me every day about that other stuff you sell.​

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Here too, for new cars. And on used cars they didn't originally sell, a dealership license plate frame. That goes as soon as I buy a car.

The Tyler headstock design works, because it is instantly recognizable, and unforgettable, and there have now been several posts on a popular guitar forum discussing Tyler guitars because of that ugly headstock.

I saw a youtube chat with Dave Friedman (Friedman Amps), where he said that the there was a multi page thread (in which he responded) on The Gear Page about why he gave his amps such stupid or offensive names.

In the youtube vid he commented (paraphrasing) "there is no bad publicity, some people have a problem with the names of my amps, so there is now a 14 page thread on the biggest gear forum on the internet talking about Friedman Amps. Thank You!"